The Portland Trail Blazers voted against the NBA plan to resume the season, which included 22 franchises based on their record before the hiatus.
The reason the Blazers have voted against the plan was reportedly the number of the teams that will participate. Namely, Portland wanted a 20-team format instead of 22, according to Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
“The NBA’s plan left open the possibility of a play-in series between the eight and ninth seeds if the teams finish the shortened regular season within four games of each other. Competition will be fierce for that positioning, and it’s clear that Portland players simply preferred eliminating the Suns and the Spurs from the start. The Spurs sit a half game behind the logjam in ninth place while the Suns are 1.5 games back,” Yahoo Sports noted.
“We play for an ownership group that actually listens to its players and has a backbone. We voiced what we felt was the best option and they followed our lead. I commend our front office and Jody Allen,” CJ McCollum tweeted after Chris Haynes broke out the news.
The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved the 22-team return-to-play format in Orlando. The vote needed 23 out of 30 team owners and was a 29-1 vote, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
